Lita's Secret
by MUFFIEDIAST
Summary: Why is Lita so obsessed with Freddy? Why does she hate being called babe? Ever wondered why? This is my explanation and what happens later on in her life. What is Freddy's true character?
1. Chapter 1

Note to the reader: I just wanted to say that I know that in the series Lita has no family. However, I've always been a little curious about what happened between Lita and Freddy, and why she was always so caught up with him. I've also always kind of wondered why she gets so angry when people call her babe. So, this is my own little version of events that occured, and why she is the way she isI hope you enjoy! Feel free to write comments or complaints (be as honest as you want!) and feel to free to comment and review.

_Lita's Secret_

Written By Tiffany Dias

"Hey, Freddie!" a grinning Lita called out to her boyfriend as she appeared from the crowd. Immediately, a tall boy with brown hair and steel-gray eyes turned to face her.

"Hey, Lita!" he said to her.   
"So, what's up?" she asked as she neared him. Instead of answering her, he wrapped his right arm around her waist, and kissed her passionately on the lips. The force of his kiss surprised Lita at first, but soon she got into it and responded with just as much passion of her own. When the kiss ended ten minutes later, they were both breathless and panting.

"Does that answer you're question?" Freddie asked her, grinning from ear-to-ear. Lita smiled ecstatically and nodded.

"So, what do you want to do tonight?" she asked him once she had regained her breath. Freddie looked at her, a knowing look in his eyes.

"Well," he began, "Your parents are out of town, so we'd have your place all to ourselves. . . " He didn't bother finishing the sentence, knowing that Lita knew what he meant. He was asking her the same question that he had been asking her for weeks. Lita sighed; she knew what he was insinuating.

"Freddie," she sighed, "I've told you before. I'm just not ready yet." Freddie rolled his eyes, obviously not liking Lita's answer.

"But why?" he pressured her. "You know how I feel about you." Lita nodded. She knew how much Freddie loved her. He had been telling her time and time again.

"I know," she assured him. "It's just that I'm not ready yet. And before I become that intimate with anyone, I need to be sure. And I'm just not. Not yet, anyways." Freddie sighed and nodded in understanding.

"Okay," he said.

"But we can still head over to my place anyways," Lita suggested. "My parents got one of their movie executive friends over in Hollywood to send us a new Jackie Chan movie. It hasn't even been released yet in theatres."

"Okay," he agreed. "Let's go." Lita smiled up at her boyfriend and arm-in-arm, they walked away from the downtown district and headed towards Lita's home.

They arrived at Lita's home about fifteen minutes later. Reaching the familiar gates, Lita sighed and pressed the button so that she would be buzzed in. She waited a few seconds then heard a click and the gates to her home swung up. As they walked up the sidewalk that led to the front entrance, Freddie stared at the estate that was Lita's home. Her home was really the same size as a mini-mall, and it included some of the same features as a mini-mall, including a private theatre and a bowling alley.

"Home sweet home," Lita said as she unlocked the front door. Once unlocked, Lita twisted the knob and pushed it open. She motioned for Freddie to step inside first, and she quickly followed.

"So, where we gonna watch the movie?" he asked her, knowing that they had wide selection. They could either watch it in the private theatre, Lita's bedroom, the family room, the rec room, or the living room.

"The living room," Lita replied and quickly led him there.

"So, what movie is it?" Freddie asked once they were in the living room and he was seated on the wide leather couch. Lita shrugged.

"I don't know," she replied. "The writers don't have a name for it yet." Freddie smiled and shook his head in disbelief. Seeing the look on his face, Lita smiled. "I know," she said, knowing what he was thinking. "My mom told me that if I watched this movie, maybe I think up a title for it and she'd suggest it to her movie executive friend." Freddie smiled.

"That would be cool," he said, thinking how amazing it would be to think up a title for a movie. Lita nodded in agreement. She was just about to sit down on the couch beside Freddie, remote in hand, when the phone rang. Surprised, she looked at the phone.

"Were you expecting any calls tonight?" Feddie asked, wondering who was on the other end of the line. Lita shook her head in reply.

"No," she told him, honestly. "My parents called a few minutes before I left to go meet you to tell me that they were just taking off."

"Who could it be?" Freddie asked, curious. Lita shrugged and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" she asked. Freddie watched his girlfriend as she listened on the phone. "Yes, this is Lita Kino," she replied, the confusion she was feeling showing clearly on her face. "Why?" Freddie watched in silence as Lita's expression changed from one of confusion to one of shock. "Y... you're joking, right?" she asked, trying not to break into tears. "I mean, they just called like half an hour ago to tell me that they were taking off." Freddie frowned. It was obvious that Lita was talking about her parents. Had something happened? He continued to watch in silence as Lita nodded in reply to questions and said, "Uh-huh." Finally, she said, "Okay, thank you," and hung up. The look on her face told Freddie that whatever news the person had just told her wasn't good. Her eyes were brimming with tears.

"Who was that, Lita?" Freddie asked, rushing to her side.

"Th... that was the Chicago police," Lita replied, still stunned from the phone call that she had just received.

"What did they want?" he asked, concern showing in his face.

"My parents," she began, taking a deep breath. "Their plan crashed about five minutes after it took off. The police told me that no one survived the crash."

"Oh, Lita," Freddie said, sadness and sympathy in his voice as he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend in a comforting hug. Not wanting to cry, Lita bit her lip to stop the tears that threatened to overflow. She was unsuccessful, and soon, the tears flowed down her cheeks.

"I. . . I don't understand," she whimpered into Freddie's shoulder. "I mean, they had just called and told me that everything was okay."

"I know," Freddie whispered into her ear as he led her over to the couch. "I know."

"B... b.. b.." Lita stammered, unable to voice her thoughts. Freddie nodded understandingly and sat her down on the couch. He took the seat on her left.

"Things happen that we can't control," Freddie replied, his voice soft.

"B... b... b..." Lita stampered, wanting to say something but not sure what.

"Shhhh," Feddie whispered, putting a finger to her lips and leaning in to kiss her on the lips. Softly at first, then harder.

"Freddie," Lita began after she had pulled away from the kiss.

"Shhh," he told her softly, kissing her on the lips once again. "It'll make the hurting stop. Trust me." Quickly, he moved his mouth from hers and began trailing a line of kisses down her neck, pressing her against the side of the couch.

"Freddie, no," she told him, but he quickly stopped her protests by planting another kiss on her mouth. Slowly and softly, his hands began to stroke her back. Before she knew what was happening, his hands had lifted her shirt off her and she was leaning against the side of the couch in her bra.

"Freddie, stop," she told him, knowing what he was doing and where it was going to lead to.

"You can't really want that, babe," he murmured in her ear. "Trust me. I know what I'm doing." Seconds later, his hands had found the clasp of her bra and he was beginning to unclasp it.

"Freddie, please," she whimpered, her hands trying to push his away. It was no use. She was too weak.

"You don't really want to," he argued with her pushing her hands away and begining to stroke her naked breasts.

"F... Freddie," she whimpered trying to straighten herself to a sitting position. Somhow, in the minutes that had elapsed, Freddie had pinned her beneath him on the couch. "I'm not ready," she told him, feeling incredibly self-concious about being half-naked in front of him.

"Yes, you are," Freddie assured her quietly as his fingers moved from her breasts to her bare stomach. Slowly, he stroked her.

"Please," Lita whispered, scared. "Stop."

"It's too late, babe," was all he said in reply to her request as his hands fumbled with the button of her jeans.

"Fre..." she began, but was silenced as Freddie's mouth landed upon hers once again for another passionate kiss. Meanwhile, he had successfully undone the button of her jeans and was working on pulling down the zipper. For the second time that night, Lita tried to push him off her but was unsuccessful. She just wasn't strong enough. Tears started to fill Lita's eyes as Freddie finished with the zipper and began to pull her jeans off with his hands, his chest pinning her to the couch. Seconds later, Freddie had thrown her jeans to the side and was straddling her, as he pulled his own shirt off. Then he quickly un-did his own jeans and, and along with his underwear, pulled them off and tossed them carelessly aside. Seeing him sitting on top of her, completely naked, Lita let the tears begin to fall. She had no control over the situation and she hated it. She didn't want to sleep with Freddie, but she wasn't being given a choice. He was going to have sex with her, and she could do nothing to stop it. She could feel his hands stroking her thighs, slowly going towards her underwear. Less then a minute later, Freddie had stopped stroking her and had peeled away the only peice of clothing that Lita had had left on her.

"Freddie, don't!" Lita cried out, pleading with him one last time. Ignoring her cries, Freddie grinned down at her and forced himself into her.

An hour later, Lita lay on her bed in her room, in her pajamas, curled up in a protective ball, crying. Crying for the loss of something that she had once treasured. Freddie had left more then fourty-five minutes earlier, but she still felt deeply hurt by his betrayal of her trust. Almost another hour passed before Lita finally cried herself to sleep, exhausted.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Lita woke to the sound of birds singing in the trees right outside her window. With a tired sigh, she dragged herself out of bed and down to the kitchen, where she poured herself a glass of orange juice. With the glass of O.J. in her hand, she headed to the living room. She was about to sit down on the leather sofa when she remembered what had happened there the night before. Almost instantly, she felt sick to her stomach and headed back up the stairs, to her room.

Once in her room, Lita placed the full glass of juice on her bedside dresser, then flopped down on her bed (still in her pajamas), grabbed the remote and flipped on the tv. She was flipping throught the channels when she suddenly realized that each channel had the exact same thing on. Wondering what had happened, Lita stopped flipping through the channels.

"Sometime last night," the reporter began, "Just outside of the O'Hare airport in Chicago, U.S.A. a plane carrying Suboshi Kino and his wife, Cantheeca Kino, crashed shortly after taking off. Mr. Ki-" Lita clicked the mute button on her tv. Watching the news cast, she had remembered the phone conversation that she had had the night before with the police officer and she paled. She just couldn't believe it. It couldn't be true, could it? Her parents couldn't be dead. It was impossible. It had to be a lie. Slowly, the remote dropped from her hand and hit the floor with a soft thud.

Half an hour later, Lita was still lying on her bed when she heard the ringing of the doorbell come from downstairs. Sighing angrily, Lita got up from her bed and marched downstairs, ready to tell whoever it was at the door to go away.

She arrived at the door five minutes later, and flung it open. Seeing who was standing there, her eyes widened in surprise.

"Lita," her best friend whispered sympathetically, wrapping his arms around her in a comforting hug, "I came as soon as I heard."

"Ken," Lita cried quietly into his shoulder, letting the tears fall.

"Let's go inside, Lita," Ken said, after a few minutes.

Lita nodded and quickly moved aside, allowing Ken to step inside.

Quietly, Ken closed the door behind him. "How are you holding up?" he asked gently.

Lita shrugged, not really sure how to respond to Ken's question. She knew that his question was referring to her parents' death, but she just couldn't believe that they were actually dead; she didn't want to.

Ken nodded, understandingly. "Yeah, I know," he said.

Suddenly, Lita realized that Ken _did _know how it felt; he had lost his mother just the year before to breast cancer. "K. . . Ken," Lita stammered, unsure of how to say what she wanted to say.

"Yeah, Lita?"

"Can we sit down?" she asked, knowing that wasn't what she had really meant to say.

"Sure," he said gently. Without saying a word, Ken wrapped his arm around Lita's shoudlers comfortingly and led her towards the living room.

It took Lita a few minutes to realize where Ken was taking her. When it finally dawned on her, Lita paled. "N. . .not in there, Ken," she warned him.

"Okay," Ken said, slightly confused. Why didn't Lita want to go into the living room? Shaking that thought off, he asked her, "So, where do you want to go?"

"Just not in there," Lita replied, near tears at the thought of having to sit down on that counch again.

Ken frowned, but nodded and led Lita away from the family room and into the rec room. "Is this better?" he asked her once they were seated on a sofa in a corner of the rec room. The rec room was huge, with a pool table in the center of the room, a fuseball table in one corner, and a mini-indoor soccer field taking up the entire right side of the room.

Lita smiled a small smile and nodded. "Yeah, thanks," she said, knowing that he was probably thinking that she was nuts because she didn't want to go into the living room. Especially since she didn't tell him why. She had a reason, though. The living room is where everything happened the night before with Freddie. Of course, she wasn't about to tell Ken that.

"Now what were you going to say?" he asked her, gently.

"Ho. . .how did you find out about what happened?" Lita asked.

"It's on every channel, Lita," Ken informed her sympathetically. "Haven't you turned on the tv?"

Lita nodded her head. "Yes," she sighed, "But it's not true. They shouldn't be allowed to report those lies."

"Lita," Ken said softly, concern showing in his voice. He looked into his best friend's eyes, searching for a clue to what was going on inside of her. "What are you talking about? Isn't that why you were crying this morning?"

Lita looked away from him, unable to answer. She didn't want to lie to him, but she couldn't tell him the truth. She just couldn't. Not yet.

"Lita?" Ken pressed, knowing that she was hiding something from him. "This morning, you weren't crying because of what happened were you? Something else happened, didn't it? You know you can tell me, Lita."

"I can't, Ken," she said, her voice trembling with unshed tears. "I'm sorry, but I can't."

"Why?" Ken demanded, concerned for his best friend. "What else has happened, Lita?"

"K. . . Ken, don't," Lita whispered, tears threatening to fall. "Please, don't do this to me. I can't tell you. Not yet."

Ken nodded, not liking it, but at the same time, not wanting to press Lita for too much information to soon. "Fine," he sighed. "But I'm going to have to get going soon. Do you want me to call your uncle? You shouldn't stay here by yourself."

Lita shook her head. "No," she told him, wanting anyone to see her so vulnerable; not even if they were family.

Ken nodded. "Okay, then," he said, quietly. "Then go upstairs and get some more sleep. If you can, that is. It doesn't seem like you had a lot last night."

Lita nodded, not bothering to respond vocally, and quietly, left the living room and went upstairs to her bedroom. She wasn't planning on getting any sleep, but she just needed to be by herself.

Ken waited until he could no longer hear the sound of Lita's footsteps on the floor before heading to the kitchen to use the phone. Once in the kitchen, Ken picked up the phone and, seeing the number he needed as one of the emergency numbers on the phone, pressed the number, and waited as the phoneon the other end rang. Once, twice, the phone on the other end rang. It was on the third ring that the phone was answered.

"Hello?" a voice on the other end asked in a tired tone.

"Mr. Akiro Kino?" Ken asked, not sure who had answered the phone.

"Yes," the man replied, "If this is another reporter. . ."

"No, sir," Ken replied. "My name is Ken. I'm a friend of your niece, Lita."

"Lita!" Mr. Kino exclaimed. "Is she okay? How is she holding up?"

"She's fine," Ken replied, then, "Well, as fine as one can except, considering the circumstances."

"So, she's heard about her parents then?" Mr. Kino asked, sounding almost relieved that he would not have to be the one to tell her.

Ken nodded. "Yeah," he replied, "She's heard. I was just wondering what's going to happen to her now? I mean, I don't think it's safe for her to stay here by herself. Especially since the press will be showing up here any time now."

"Of course," Mr. Kino said, as if he had already been thinking of that. "Lita will be coming to stay with us for a while. Then, if she likes, she can continue to stay with us. If she prefers something else, then whatever she wants will be arranged. May I talk to her right now, Ken?"

"Actually, sir," Ken began, "Right now, she's in her room. I think she wants to be left alone for the moment."

"Of course," Mr. Kino said. "That's understandable, son. But either way, I'm going to be heading over there in a few minutes to check up on her."

Ken nodded, knowing that Mr. Kino was probably very concerned about his neice and how she was holding up.

"I'll be ready, sir," Ken said, then with a final good-bye, he hung up the phone.

_Lita's not gonna be too happy,_ Ken thought, knowing that his friend was not going to like it that he had called her uncle when she had specifically asked him not to. _But I had to. Something's up with her. I just wish I knew what it was. _

With a final sigh, Ken headed back into the rec room to wait for either Lita's uncle to arrive or for Lita to come downstairs.


	3. Chapter 3

Lita lay upstairs in her room on her bed, staring at the wall, a blank expression on her face. The realization of what had happened the night before, not only to her but to her parents, had finally sunken in and she was in shock. Not only by her parents' death, but by the fact that the one person in the world who she had trusted the most, had so deeply betrayed her. He had taken advantage of her when she had needed him the most.

With a sigh, Lita closed her eyes and tried to block out the memories of the night before.

Ken was still sitting in the rec room when he suddenly heard footsteps coming towards him. He froze, knowing that the footsteps were not coming from the stairway but from the hallway that led to the front door. "Hello?" Ken asked as he slowly got to his feet, all the while wondering who the hell was coming towards him.

"Ken, I believe?" a man asked.

As the man entered the rec room, Ken could see that he stood, easily, 6'8, and he had dark black hair and the same eyes as Lita. "Mr. Kino?" Ken asked, already knowing that that was who he must be.

The man nodded. "Where's Lita?" he asked.

"Upstairs in her room," Ken replied, "Why?"

"Reporters are already starting to gather out by the gate," Mr. Kino sighed. "I think it's a better idea if we get her out of the house now, while they're only starting to gather instead of when they've already been there for a while. More are going to show up. Right now we only have the Japanese reporters here. Others will come but it takes time for them to arrive here from around the world."

"Oh," Ken said, surprised by this news. He had known that reporters were going to come to Lita's to cover this story, but for some reason, he had not expected them to come this soon. _Vultures,_ he thought, _That's what they are._

Mr. Kino nodded. "Yeah," he sighed, "So, let's go and get Lita, shall we?"

Ken nodded, agreeing with Lita's uncle. Quickly the two of them headed up the stairs, Mr. Kino following Ken.

Rap! Rap!

Lita lay on her bed and sighed, hoping that whoever was at the door would just go away and leave her alone.

"Lita?" came the familiar voice of her uncle.

Lita ignored him.

"Lita? Will you open the door please?" came the voice of her best friend.

Lita continued to ignore the two people outside her bedroom.

"We don't have a choice," Lita heard her uncle tell Ken. "If she won't come out voluntarily, we'll have to carry her out ourselves."

"I'm coming," Lita sighed and slowly she got off her bed and opened her bedroom.

"Lita," her uncle said sadly as he saw his only neice.

"Hello, Uncle Akiro," Lita greeted her uncle.

"Come on, Lita," he said. "Get dressed. You must leave here before the reporters get settled."

"Give me ten minutes." Lita sighed and shut the door, fighting the urge to just lock the door and fall against it. If anything, leaving her house was the last thing she wanted to do. She only wanted to curl up in her room and forget that anyone else existed or that they had ever existed. Quickly, Lita went to a drawer and pulled out a pair of blue jeans and threw on a sweatshirt. Giving her hair a quick brush through she tied it up in a ponytail and opened the door. Waiting outside it were her uncle and Ken.

"Come, Lita," her uncle told her. "The limo is waiting for us downstairs. If it's okay with you, you'll be staying at my place for a while."

Lita nodded, and quickly the two of them walked downstairs, Ken following close behind.

"If there's anything you need," Ken said as they entered the hall that led to the front doors.

Akiro Kino nodded. "Don't worry. We'll take care of Lita. If she needs you, we'll call you."

Ken nodded.

"Do you have a way to school?" Akiro asked.

Ken shook his head. "Don't concern yourself with me, Mr. Kino. I can take care of myself. Just make sure that Lita's okay."

"I'll do that," he said, then, "Good-bye, Ken."

"Good-bye," Ken said, and opened the door to the Kino's mansion for them so that they could leave.

"Bye, Ken," Lita whispered, as she entered the limo that was waiting only a few feet away from them.

Ken only nodded his good-bye, not sure if he could say it without repeating his earlier question. He knew that something else had happened to Lita but he had no idea what. Whatever it was, she still wasn't ready to talk about it.

Silently, Ken watched as the limo that held within it, Lita and her uncle, ride away from the Kino's mansion.

_What happened to you, Lita?_ he wondered as he quickly pulled out his cell phone.

Lita sat quietly on the train across from her uncle. It had been a week since the incident with Freddy and her parents' deaths. The funeral had happened only two days before hand. Staring out the window, she watched as houses and fields passed by.

"Lita, you know that this is going to be the best for you?" her uncle asked her.

Lita said nothing but continued to stare out the window.

"It helped me when I was younger and going through some. . . uh, issues."

Lita only nodded, not taking her gaze off the passing farmland. The day after her father's funeral her uncle had asked Lita how she would feel about being sent away to a retreat. Her uncle explained to her that there she could continue with her schooling while concentrating on dealing with the problems that had happened to her. Lita had kept quiet while her uncle explained to her about the retreat area, thinking about everything that had happened over the past week. She knew that her family had been worried about her because since her uncle had gone to get her at her house she had not spoken a word to anyone. The only answers she had given anyone were shrugs, nods and shakes of her head. With the exception of what had happened with Freddy.

Not even waiting for a day to pass, Freddy had called Lita up the afternoon after her parents had died and asked to see her. Still in shock and wondering what he wanted, Lita had agreed to meet him in a little gazebo in a park. Through the pattering of the rain, Lita stood in the gazebo as Freddy broke up with her. He left her in the gazebo, leaving a silent and shocked Lita in tears. As soon as he had gone a few feet from the gazebo, Lita had begun to run after him, wanting answers, but she did not take too long to give up the chase. She froze and stood in the pouring rain, staring at Freddy's disappearing back. Not too long afterwards, Lita had suddenly noticed that the rain had stopped falling on her shoulders and head and she had turned to see that Ken was standing by her side, getting soaked to the bone as he held an umbrella over her.

Afterwards, he had walked Lita back to her uncle's, neither one of them saying a word to the other. Worried and concerned for their only neice, her uncle had suggested that Lita take as much time as she needed at a retreat that he had gone to as a teen. Lita knew that special circumstances were being made for her so that she could go to this retreat and that her uncle had probably used some of his influence. She was only twelve years old and the people in charge only accepted kids fourteen years of age and older.

The train quickly pulled to a stop and Lita stared out the window at the stairs that she suspected led up to the main entrance.

"Well, we're here. Come on, Lita."

Without a word, Lita followed her uncle, wondering what this experience would be like.


	4. Chapter 4

Three years passed and many things changed for Lita Kino in those three years. She had spent almost a year at the retreat, training and getting stronger. At the retreat, she had learned karate and had quickly become a black belt while also learning several other ways of self defense. She had also learned that she enjoyed weight-training.

Once she left the retreat, Lita had requested that she be allowed to live on her own (her parents had left her enough money for her to be able to take care of herself). Against her aunt's wishes, her uncle had agreed telling his neice that if she ever needed anything to just call and he would be there for her. So, on her own a year after her parents' deaths, she found an apartment and quickly placed herself in a school. Since then she had gotten kicked out of several schools and had soon gained a reputation as "the Karate Maniac".

Some time during the second year after her parents' death, Lita had transfered herself to Juuban Junior High, where on her first day she met Serena Tsukino who quickly became her friend. Along with meeting this new friend, Lita soon learned that she had also lived a past life as a princess and was Sailor Jupiter. She quickly became friends with Amy Mizuno, Rei Hino, and the rest of the other Sailor Scouts as well. Now fifteen years old and in her first year of high school, Lita was happy that she was attending the same school as Serena, Amy, and also, Mina Aino.

Lita Kino stood in the hallway with Serena Tsukino. The two of them were waiting for Amy Mizuno, who had been asked by a teacher to stay behind after school.

"Wonder what Amy did?" Serena said, having been waiting outside the room for ten minutes.

"It's Amy," Lita said, "She did nothing. The teacher's probably asking HER for help in understanding a problem."

Serena nodded. That did sound the more likely possibility of the two. Amy Mizuno had never ever gotten into trouble in her entire school life.

"Actually," came the voice of their ever so-brilliant friend, "The teacher has a new student who just transferred here and she wants me to help him until he's up to speed with his classes here."

Surprised, both Serena and Lita jumped.

"Hey, Amy!" Serena said with a grin.

"Hey, Serena," Amy greeted her, "Hey Lita."

"So, who's the new student?" Lita asked, curious as the trio began to walk away from the class. "It's a he right? Is he gorgeous?"

"It's a he," Amy confirmed. "I haven't seen him yet. I wasn't even told his name. I was only asked if I could tutor him Fridays after school until he catches up. More, if he needs it, but Professor Miaka said that according to his transcripts, he should be up to speed in no time."

"Friday, right?" Lita said with a grin. "So that would mean that your first tutorial is tomorrow after school."

Amy nodded. "Yep," she said, "Tomorrow after school I come straight here to be introduced to the guy, unless I hear otherwise."

"Ohhhh!" Serena exclaimed, as they cilmbed onto the bus that would take them to the Temple, "Mystery man!"

"What mytery man?" they heard a familiar voice ask them suddenly.

"Mina!" all three girls exclaimed in surprise as they turned to face the speaker.

"Hey guys," their long-blonde haired friend greeted them, "What mystery man?"

"Amy's," Lita said, with a grin.

Hearing her blue-haired friend's name, Mina's eyes widened with surprsie. "Amy, you have a mystery man?"

Amy shook her head, wishing she could kill Lita. "He's not a mystery man," she argued.

"Oh yes he is, Ames," Serena said, then to Mina, "Amy's tutoring a boy, and she only finds out his name tomorrow. She doesn't even know what he looks like."

"Sounds like a mystery man to me, Ames," Mina said with a grin. It was so rare that they had something like this to tease Amy about, she wasn't about to miss out on this chance.

Amy blushed furiously and quickly looked down at the floor. She didn't know why her friends were giving her such a hard time about helping somebody out.

"So when do you find out who this guy is?" Mina asked.

Lita grinned and looking at her long-haired friend, replied, "Tomorrow after school. Ames goes straight to Professor Miaka to be introduced to him."

"Really?" Mina said, her eyes sparkling with interest, "Any chance you'd introduce three of your bestest buds to him, Ames?"

Amy sighed. "If I said no, would it really make a difference?" she asked.

Serena shook her head. "Not really," the leader of the Sailor Scouts replied.

_Like I should be surprised, _Amy thought to herself. Meanwhile, she said, "If you're not there right after school, I can't wait." She looked to Serena and Mina, knowing that these two tended to get the most detentions out of the entire school.

"Okay," Serena said, reminding herself to be on her best behaviour tomorrow. Suddenly, the bus pulled up to a stop.

"Here's my stop," Amy said, glad that they didn't have a Scout meeting today and that the others were only heading to Raye's to gossip. She really didn't want to put up with any more teasing and with Serena and Lita there, being teased was a guarantee. "I'll see you guys tomorrow," Amy said and quickly got off the bus.

"Bye, Ames!" the three friends said in unison as the bus doors closed.

Amy sighed as she got off the bus and began to walk up to her house. Earlier she had been looking forward to the tutorial, but that was when it had been a secret from the others. Now, though, she wasn't too sure about it. _Too late to back out now, Amy, _she told herself with a sigh as she opened her front door and stepped inside.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day Amy sat in study hall when she was suddenly surprised by a tap on her shoulder. Curious, she turned around to see who it was.

"Sorry to startle you, Amy," said Professor Miaka, noticing that she had surprised one of her favorite students.

Amy smiled. "No problem, Professor," she said. Then, wondering why Professor Miaka was in study hall when she wasn't the teacher who was assigned that day, Amy asked, "What's up?'

"Apparently," Professor Miaka began, "You and Freddy have study hall during the same block. I was able to talk to him before he came to class, but I never seemed to be able to catch you."

"Freddy?" Amy asked, not having any idea who this Freddy person was.

Professor Miaka nodded, then looked at Amy sheepishly. "That's right. I never told you his name yesterday. The student I asked you to tutor. His name is Freddy Suashi. You and him have study hall this period, so I thought that it would be a good idea to introduce him to you now instead of waiting until after school."

"Oh, okay," Amy said, then, "Is it okay with Professor Hasuki?"

"When I asked him earlier, he said yes," Professor Miaka said.

Amy nodded and after gathering her things, she and the professor quickly left study hall and headed to Professor Miaka's room, where Freddy was already waiting for the two of them.

"Hello, Freddy," Professor Miaka greeted the boy who was leaning against a desk.

"Hello, Professor," the boy said with a nod.

"Freddy, this is Amy Mizuno," Professor Miaka introduced Ami. "Amy, this is Freddy Suashi. Amy's the student I was telling you about, Freddy."

"So you're going to be my tutor, huh?" Freddy asked, sounding bored at the idea.

Amy nodded, noticing that Freddy was quite handsome with his shaggy black hair and dark brown eyes, his dark eyes made even darker by the dark blue school uniform he wore. "That's right. Until you get caught up with everything."

Professor Miaka smiled. "Great. Now, the two of you can stay in here for the rest of study hall if you like, to get better acquainted, or you can head back down to study hall."

With those words, Professor Miaka left, shutting the door behind her.

"So," Freddy began.

"So," Amy said, slightly uncomfortable, "What school did you transfer from, Freddy?"

"Brighton Academy," Freddy replied. Then, "Why did you leave it?"

Taken slightly aback by his question, Amy asked, "Excuse me?"

"Brighton. I mean, I know that I wasn't there when you went but everyone still speaks of you there. No one has been able to beat, or even match, those scores you set on any of the exams there. So if you were doing so well there, why'd you leave?"

"My mother moved here," Amy replied simply. "With the move, came a different school." Then, "Why did you transfer?"

"Got kicked out," Freddy replied simply, with no further explanation.

"Why?" Amy asked curious. To her, Freddy didn't seem at all the type that got booted out of schools. _Then again,_ she thought, _Neither does Lita, and she was kicked out of quite a few schools before she went to Juuban._

"Stupid reasons," Freddy replied.

Amy nodded. If Freddy wasn't going to be giving her any more answers that was just fine with her. "So, how are you liking it here?" Amy asked him.

Freddy shrugged. "It's boring. You're the first person other than a professor who's talked to me all day."

Amy frowned. She was surprised to hear that. She had thought that a guy as handsome as Freddy would have had all the girls swarming him. Especially Mina and Lita, she thought with a smile.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked her.

"It's nothing," she said, then, "Freddy, do you have any plans for lunch?"

Freddy shook his head. "Not really."

"Good. Then I have a few friends that I can introduce you to. Meet me outside of Professor Miaka's classroom right after the lunch bell, okay?"

Freddy nodded. "Sure."

Amy smiled, then she was gone, leaving Freddy to himself.

_She's not bad,_ he thought to himself as he watched her close the door, _A bit uptight maybe, but I can fix that. _Grinning, he left Professor Miaka's classroom.

The rest of study hall and physics passed quickly for Amy and it wasn't long before the lunch bell rang. Quickly, she gathered her books up and left for Professor Miaka's class. By the time she arrived there ten minutes later, Freddy was already standing outside waiting for her.

"Hey, Freddy," Amy greeted him as she approached.

Hearing his name and recognizing the voice, Freddy Suashi turned and smiled at her. "Hey, Amy."

"You ready to go?"

"Yeah. Where to?"

"Serena and the others should be waiting for us outside," Amy told him, motioning to the doors that led to the campus surrounding the school.

"Cool," he said, wondering what kind of name was Serena.

Outside Serena, Mina, and Lita sat underneath the shade of a large oak tree. Serena was complaining about the latest math test, while Mina and Lita were politely listening when Serena's complaining was suddenly broken in by Mina's wide-eyed exclamation of, "Who's the hunk?"

Quickly, Serena and Lita turned to see what Mina was looking at. Walking towards them was Amy Mizuno, who had the most gorgeous boy they had ever seen walking beside her.

Serena's jaw dropped open in shock. Was that the new boy!

Lita, meanwhile, stared at the guy, puzzled. She knew him from somewhere but she couldn't remember from where. "That looks like my old boyfri-" Lita began, when Lita's eyes widened in even more shock than Mina's. _Shit, that is my old boyfriend!_ she said to herself as she suddenly remembered where she knew the boy from. "Uh, guys, I forgot that I had something else to do," the taller of the three girls said, "I have to get going."

"But don't you want to stay to know who that guy is?" Mina asked, practically drooling as Amy and Freddy neared them.

Lita shook her head. "I'll find out later. I really have to get going." With those final words, Lita quickly walked away from them, leaving Serena and Mina slightly puzzled by their friend's behaviour. Normally, Lita would never miss the chance to meet such a gorgeous guy.

"Where'd Lita go guys?" Amy asked a few minutes later as she and the new guy approached Serena and Mina.

"We don't know," Serena replied, "She just said that she had something to do."

"Lita?" the new guy asked, thinking that it couldn't possibly be.

All three girls looked up at him.

"What's the matter, Freddy?" Amy asked.

"Uh, it's nothing," he said with a shake of his head, thinking: _It can't possibly be who I think it is. _

"So," Mina said, with a coy smile, "Amy, do you want to introduce us?"

"Oh, sorry," Amy said, feeling slightly embarrassed that she had forgotten to introduce Freddy. "Mina, Serena, this is Freddy Suashi. Freddy, this is Serena Tsukino and Mina Aino."

"Nice to meet you," Freddy said, extending his hand out to Mina and Serena, both quickly accepting it.

"So how you liking your first day?" Mina asked.

Freddy shrugged. "It's boring," he replied simply.

"Where did you transfer from?" Serena asked.

"Brighton Academy." Hearing the name of Amy's old junior high school surprised Serena.

"I thought that was a junior high," she said.

"It is, Serena," Amy informed her friend. "Brighton has a junior high school, as well as a high school and elementary school. This way, students who are taught at Brighton from the beginning can continue with that level of studies, instead of being brought down by the difference of levels from other schools."

"So the brains stay brainy," Mina said with a smile, "I get it."

Freddy had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. These girls sounded like complete idiots. If Amy Mizuno really was as brilliant as they say, why in the world was she hanging around with them?

"So how come we haven't see you around today?" Serena asked him.

"Not in the same classes, I guess," Freddy replied, "I think I have a few classes with Amy, though."

"Maybe," Amy agreed, "That would make sense, since Professor Miaka asked me to tutor you."

"So, do you have a girlfriend, Freddy?" Mina asked, with a smile.

Freddy shook his head. "No," he replied, then looking over at Amy, he said with a smile, "But maybe soon."

Amy blushed and moved her gaze to her open biology textbook.

Mina and Serena noticed this scene with interest. It was obvious that Freddy was interested in having Amy for more than just a tutor.

Suddenly, he stood up and shifted his bag to his left shoulder. "Amy, I just forgot that I have something to do," Freddy said, looking at the blue-haired teen, "Is it still okay with you that we meet today after school by Professor Miaka's room?"

The blush having faded from her cheeks, Amy looked up at him and nodded.

"I'll see you then, Freddy," she said. Freddy smiled back and quickly walked away from the group, Serena and Mina watching his retreating back. As soon as he was out of hearing range, they turned to Amy.

"So, Ames," Serena said with a smile, "You gonna go out with him?"

Amy glanced up from her textbook, the surprise she felt showing on her features. "Excuse me?"

"You gonna go out with him?" Serena repeated.

"It's obvious that he's into you, Amy," Mina told her oblivious friend.

Amy shook her head. "He's only paying attention to me because he needs me as a tutor," she told them.

"Puh-lease, Amy!" Serena exclaimed. "Even _I_ can see that he's into you. I mean, he only talked to Mina and me because we were your friends. Even then, he never really looked at us; at least, not directly in the eyes like he did you, Ames."

"You guys are really reading way too much into it," their blue-haired friend argued.

"You can deny it all you want," Mina said, "But the truth's the truth."

"So you two have no idea where Lita went to?" Amy asked, quickly changing the subject.

"You're not getting off that easy," Mina said.

"Yeah," Serena agreed, "Stop visiting De Nile."

At this, Mina's eyebrows rose in surprise and she stared at Serena.

"I think I'm going to go look for Lita," Amy said and quickly, stuffing her textbook into her bag, walked away from her friends.

"What?" Serena asked her blonde friend in exasperation. She had only noticed Mina looking at her with raised eyesbrows, surprise still on her face.

"What you said actually made sense," she said, still shocked.

Serena only closed her eyes and stuck out her tongue. "Blllllllllllhhhhhhhhhh!"


	6. Chapter 6

_Man, those chicks are idiots! _Freddy thought as he walked towards the school, _What the hell is a brain like Amy doing hanging around the- What the hell? _ Freddy's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a voice he hadn't heard in years.

"Freddy!" the voice called, the tone of it showing that it's owner was not at all pleased to see him.

Freddy turned around to face the speaker and was met by a kick to the face that made him fly ten feet back, his body slamming into a tree.

_Holy shit!_ he thought with a groan as he tried to stand to his feet, _It can't be._

"Get off your ass," the voice ordered as footsteps appraoched him.

Still sitting against the tree, Freddy saw a pair of black shoes stop five feet in front of him.

"It can't be," he muttered as he tried to shake off the pain he felt throughout his entire body. Suddenly, a hand reached towards his throat and lifting him off the ground, slammed his body once more against the tree, pinning him there. "Fuck, you've changed," he groaned as he struggled to free himself.

"Like that's a surprise," Lita muttered with a smirk.

"What the hell do you want?" Freddy demanded, a little scared. This was not the Lita he had known three years ago; this Lita was intimidating, frightening even.

"Leave Amy alone," Lita ordered him.

"Amy Mizuno?"

Lita nodded. "Find another tutor and leave Amy alone."

Freddy smiled and tried to shake his head, but found that Lita's hold on his neck prevented him from doing so.

"I'd say that decision is up to Amy, wouldn't you?" he asked her, still smiling.

Lita's grip on his throat tightened and Freddy struggled to breathe, let alone speak. "I'm warning you, Freddy," Lita threatened through clenched teeth, "Find someone else." With those final words, Lita let go of Freddy's throat and let him drop to the ground, leaving him struggling for breath.

"You're not the one who should be making threats, Lita!" Freddy called after her, once she was fifteen feet away. "Not if you don't want anyone to find out about your little secret."

Lita froze, her face going pale.

Freddy grinned, knowing he had gotten to her.

"You wouldn't," Lita said, knowing very well that he would.

"Try me," Freddy said, looking at her maliciously.

Lita paled even more and he knew he had won.

"I wouldn't go making any more threats if I were you," Freddy warned her.

Lita clenched her fists in anger and walked away from him.

Freddy was still watching her walk away when he suddenly noticed a familiar blue-haired beauty walking towards Lita. Freddy frowned, hoping that Lita was smart enough to keep her trap shut about their past.

_It wouldn't be right for a Sailor Scout to commit murder,_ Lita tried to convince herself, knowing that that was exactly what she wanted to do to Freddy right then. _It wouldn't be rig- _

"Hey, Lita!" Amy called as she approached her tall friend.

"Hey, Ames!" Lita called back, "What's up?"

"Why'd you walk away earlier when Freddy and I were walking towards you guys?"

"I had something to do," Lita lied.

"You okay?" Amy asked her, sensing that something was wrong with her.

"I'm fine," Lita replied angrily.

"You don't sound fine," Amy told her.

"Look, I'm just feeling a little off today," Lita said a partial truth.

"You're sure that's all it is?" Amy asked, concerned.

Lita nodded, hating herself for lying. "I'm sure," she said, then, "Raye's school has their Fridays' off right?"

Amy nodded at her friend, not understanding what that question had to do with the topic they had been discussing. "Yeah," Amy replied, "Why?"

Lita shrugged. "No reason," she said. "Gotta book it, Ames. Be careful around Freddy."

With those as her last words, Ltia took off at a run towards the bus stop, leaving Amy standing there, confused. What had Lita meant by "be careful around Freddy"?


	7. Chapter 7

Raye was standing by the temple, sweeping away some brush, when she suddenly heard familiar footsteps approaching. Quickly, she lifted her head to see who it was. "Lita," Raye said, slightly surprised. She knew that Lita's high school didn't have Friday's off.

"Raye, could I use the Fire Room for a while?" Lita asked.

"Sure, but shouldn't you be in school?"

"Something came up," Lita said, as they walked towards the Fire Room. The look on Lita's face told Raye not to push the issue.

"Here you go," Raye said, pushing the door open.

"Thanks, Raye," Lita said.

Raye nodded.

Once the young priestess had left, Lita shut the door behind her and sat on the floor across from the fire, legs crossed. As she closed her eyes, memories that she had long ago pushed away came flooding back to her.

Hours later, school had just let out and Amy and Freddy were walking towards Amy's house.

"So," Freddy began, trying to figure out how to say something nice about Mina and Serena, "Your friends were uh... interesting."

"That they are," Amy said, thinking if only Freddy knew just how "interesting" they really were.

"Why do you hang out with them?"

"Excuse me?" Amy was taken aback by this question.

"They seem so different from you." Freddy chose his words carefully.

"They're not, really," Amy said with a coy smile. What she was saying was true. While each of them had different qualities, in the end, the group had one very GIANT thing in common: each one had had a past life in the Silver Millenium.

"Yeah, right," Freddy scoffed.

"What does that mean?"

"Amy, I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but those girls are idiots, or if they're not, they sound like it. You're not. Why do you even bother with them?"

"Friendship is not based on IQ points," Amy said miffed. "Serena and Mina not be as smart as you or I, but they are there for you if you need them. That's what friendship is, Freddy. Having someone there you can count on and trust."

"Yeah, but are you sure that they can count?"

"Freddy Suashi, if you are going to continue to insult my friends, I am afraid you are going to have to find yourself another tutor."

"Sorry, Amy," Freddy apologized quickly, seeing that he had obviously angered her. "I didn't mean to make you angry, but I was just curious why someone as intelligent as you would hang around such simpletons like Mina, Serena, and Lita."

"Lita?" Amy said, surprised. How did he know Lita was her friend? How, for that matter, did he even know that Lita was named Lita?

"Yeah," Freddy said, "Lita. The girl who was walking away from Mina and Serena today at lunch. That was Lita Kino, wasn't it?"

Amy nodded, puzzled. "Yeah. But how did you know that it was Lita? Do you know her?"

Freddy smiled slyly. "A lot of people know Lita Kino," he said simply, "At least, they know who she is. She may have grown up over the past three years, but it's still obvious that the person I saw today is the same Lita Kino that everyone was talking about three years ago."

"What are you talking about?" Amy asked, having no idea what Freddy was trying to tell her.

"Don't you remember hearing about the Kinos who died three years ago in a plane crash?"

Amy nodded. How couldn't she remember? It had been news everywhere people went, and how they had left behind an only child. It was then that realization swept over Amy. "Lita," she cried in horrified whisper.

Freddy nodded. "Lita Kino."

"I can't believe that." Yet what Freddy was telling her explained a lot of things about Lita. Why she lived alone and her fear of planes. How she could afford to live on her own without having a job. The fact that she was the Kino's only child explained all of it.

"Just because you can't believe it, doesn't mean that you don't believe it," Freddy said, knowing by the look that was written on Amy's face that had gotten to her.

"We're here," Amy said with suddenly, glad that they had reached her house. Changing the subject as she opened the door, she asked him, "So Freddy, what subject do you want to start with first?"


	8. Chapter 8

Raye sighed as she finished with the last peice of the firewood. For the last hour and a half, she had been chopping and placing the wood into a wood pile in a corner just outside the building that housed the Fire Room. With a sudden thought about her friend, Raye looked to the temple and realised that Lita had not left yet. If she had, she had not bothered to say good-bye. Curious to see whether or not her friend was still in there, Raye crept towards the Fire Room.

The young priestess stopped just outside of the doors that led into the room. From inside she could hear a sound that she recognized but was surprised to hear. It sounded like weeping. Concerned for the person inside and no longer sure that Lita hadn't left, Raye opened the doors and entered, making sure not to make a sound. Raye's eyes widened when she saw the sight that lay before her eyes.

Sitting in front of the fire, legs crossed and eyes closed, was a weeping Lita. The priestess stared at the scene for a moment, unsure of what to do next. Of all of the Scouts, she and Lita were the two who were the least friendliest. They got along okay, but chances are that had the two of them not had Scouting in common, they would probably never have met, let alone become friends. She wanted to do something to comfort her friend, who was obviously in pain but she wasn't exactly sure what to do to help. She, like the rest of the Scouts, had never seen Lita cry, let alone with so much pain and anguish that these tears seemed to hold.

Hating to see her fellow Scout in so much pain, Raye spoke up. "Lita, what's wrong?" she asked, softly and carefully.

Hearing this unexpected voice, Lita jumped and quickly wiped the tears away, ashamed that someone had caught her in such a vulnerable state. "Raye!" Lita exclaimed as she tried to hide the fact that seconds ago she had been crying.

"Lita," Raye began, the concern she felt for her friend showing on her features and in her voice, "What's wrong?"

"N. . . nothing," Lita stuttered, hating that Raye had obviously seen her tears.

"Something's wrong," Raye said, not wanting to give up so easily. It was obvious that something was bothering her, why wouldn't Lita just admit it? "Lita, whatever it is, you can tell me. I won't go telling the others if you don't want me to."

"You wouldn't understand, Raye," Lita said quietly. So quietly that Raye had to struggle to hear. "No one would."

"Try me," Raye challenged, hating that Lita didn't feel close enough to her to be able to confide in her.

"Raye, I c. . . can't," Lita stammered, staring down at her hands with her red-rimmed eyes.

Raye looked at Lita, concerned. This was not at all like the tall Scout. Something was seriously bothering her. Quickly, Raye went to her friend and sat down beside her. Brushing her hair aside, Raye looked into her friend's eyes.

"Lita," began, seriously worried about her friend, "What is it? Did something happen? Tell me, Lita."

"Raye," Lita pleaded. _Please, don't do this._

"Lita, something's wrong. If you don't tell me, I'll call Serena and. . ."

"No!" Lita cried out, terror joining the fear and sorrow in her eyes, "Please, no!"

"Then, tell me," Raye begged. She had never seen Lita like this before and it was beginning to frighten her. What was causing Lita so much pain? What could have hurt her so much?

"F. . . Freddy's back," Lita stammered.

"Freddy?" Raye asked, knowing she had heard Lita mention that name before. "Isn't he your ex-boyfriend?"

Lita nodded her head in reply.

Raye frowned. _Yeah, okay, _she thought, _So, Lita's old boyfriend was back in town. Was that any reason for her to get so unglued? _Raye shook her head. Lita might go a little nutso whenever she saw a cute guy, but they never effected her like this. There had to be more to the story. "And. . .?"

Lita drew in a deep breath. Making sure that no tears were going to fall, she spoke. "Raye, this will never leave this room," Lita warned the dark-haired Scout.

"Okay. Fine. No problem."

"I mean it," Lita warned her. "I don't want Serena, Mina, or Amy to know."

"Lita, I promise I won't tell them," Raye assured the tall Scout, her curiousity growing by the second.

"I never used to be like this." Lita stared down at her hands as she spoke.

"Like this?" What did Lita mean?

"The way I am. I never used to be strong or tough. Truth be known, I used to act a lot more like Mina or Serena."

Raye's eyes widened in disblief as Lita told her this but she stayed silent.

"That all changed after I met Freddy. He broke up with me really soon after my parents died. I took the break-up really badly. I was determined that no one would ever hurt me like he did. I was really messed up for a while there, Raye. My parents death and then Freddy. . . everything was too much for me. My uncle saw this and decided to take me to a nice retreat where I stayed for a while. It was at the retreat that I learned to toughen up."

"So," Raye began, wanting to make sure that she understood what her friend had told her, "Freddy broke up with you, and because he hurt you, you toughened up to make sure that no one could ever hurt you again?"

"Pretty much."

Looking at Lita, Raye said, "Why do I get the feeling that you're leaving something out?"

Lita narrowed her eyes. "Like what?"

Raye shrugged. "I don't know. _I _wasn't the one there. _You_ were."

"It's nothing."

"So there _is_ more." She knew it!

"No," Lita said, jumping to her feet and shaking her head and holding her hands up defensively. "No, there's not. I never said there was!"

"You said that it was nothing," Raye reminded her, also getting to her feet. "If there wasn't anything more, than what was 'it' ?"

"Raye, I'd rather not say anymore," Lita told her friend, "It's kind of private."

"Lita, it may be private but it obviously hurts you. Maybe you should share whatever 'it' is, so that you can get over 'it'. Who knows? Maybe if you tell somebody 'it' won't bother you as much anymore."

"Raye, you wouldn't understand." There was desperation in her voice now. She really didn't want to let anyone else know. How could she let anyone else know? How would they ever forgive her once they knew?

"Try me," Raye challenged. Now that she knew that there was something more, she couldn't let Lita get away without telling her. She had to know what bothered her friend so much.

"W. . . well," Lita began timidly, glancing down at her feet. "T. . . the night my parents died, Freddy was over at my house. That same night, we, um. . . well, we slept together. I didn't really want to," Lita rushed out. "But he wouldn't take no for an answer." Once she had finished, she bit her lip to hide back the tears that once again threatened to fall.

"He raped you?" Raye asked quietly.

"It wasn't like that," Lita said defensively and quickly.

"You told him no, but he didn't listen, right?"

Lita nodded, still too ashamed to look at her friend.

"That's rape, Lita. I don't care what you say. If you told him no and he didn't listen, it's rape." Raye was silent for a moment, waiting to see the effect her little speech had had on Lita, if any. When there was no visible reaction, Raye stepped closer and gently gripped Lita's chin, forcing the taller Scout to look her friend in the eyes. "Lita, listen to me. What happened in the past was not your fault. You couldn't control it. You have absolutely no, and I mean _NO,_ reason to be ashamed of what happened. If anything, the person who should be ashamed of what happened is Freddy."

"Raye, I gotta go," Lita said, suddenly feeling really uncomfortable. She hadn't wanted to let anyone know about her secret,and now that Raye knew. . .

Without another word, Lita turned and ran away from the temple as fast as she could, leaving Raye standing in the Fire Room, speechless.


	9. Chapter 9

"What are you doing tomorrow night, Amy?"

"Huh?" She had just finished explaining to Freddy where they were in biology, when Freddy had suddenly changed the subject on her.

"Tomorrow night. Any plans?"

"Plans?" Amy repeated, still surprised, "Me? Um, no, not really. Just some studying. Why do you ask?" Amy kept her head down as she asked him this question, trying to hide the blush that was quickly creeping across her cheeks.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go see a movie with me?"

"I don't know, Freddy," Amy said caustiously, thinking back to what Lita had told her. Why had Lita warned her? "I really should study."

"Come on, Amy. You can't spend all your time studying."

Amy said nothing, still unsure.

"You can even bring a friend or two if you like. It doesn't have to be a date thing, you know?"

"Really?" Amy asked, feeling a bit more relaxed now that there wasn't the pressure of a date.

"Of course," Freddy replied. "I mean, you don't really know me yet. I can understand why you'd be uneasy."

"I. . . it's not that," Amy said, suddenly feeling a little foolish. Why shouldn't she go out with Freddy? Just because something bad had happened between Lita and Freddy didn't necessarily mean that something bad was going to happen between her and Freddy. Besides, if the thing that had happened between Lita and Freddy had been really bad, Lita would have told her already, wouldn't she've?

"Then what?" Freddy asked, wondering why she was being so cautious. Had Lita said something to her? "Are you not interested?"

"No," Amy said a little too quickly for herself, "I am. It's just that. . ."

"What?" Freddy asked a little impatiently.

"Never mind," Amy said, shaking her head. Looking at Freddy, she smiled and said, "I'd love to go to the movies with you tomorrow night."

Freddy smiled. "Then it's a date," he grinned. He looked at his watch and said, "I gotta go, Amy. So I'll see you tomorrow night around seven, okay?"

"Ok," Amy agreed, joining Freddy as he stood to his feet and walked towards the door.

"Good-night, Amy," he said, then quickly left.

"Night, Freddy," Amy whispered as she shut the door behind him.

Out in the street, Freddy grinned. His plan was going along perfectly! Only a few more days and whamo! He'd have her! Trying not to sing a happy tune at just how perfectly everything was going, he snapped his fingers and disappeared in a flash of green lightning.


	10. Chapter 10

By the time Lita reached her apartment, she was breathless. She had run all the way from the Cherry Hill Temple to her apartment, which was more than ten miles. Her hand trembling, Lita barely managed to open the door to her home. Once inside, she slammed the door shut, making sure to lock it before heading to the bathroom.

In the bathroom, Lita quickly stripped down and stepped into the shower stall, turning the water to steaming hot. She stood in the stall for a few moments, allowing the hot water to pour down on her, washing away the shameful secret she had kept hidden for so long. In a weird way it had been good to tell someone what had happened. The secret was no longer her own burden to carry. But in another way, it had been so embarrassing. What had happened between her and Freddy had been private. Something that she had not wanted anyone else to know about. Standing in the hot shower, Lita sighed. She knew that what Raye had told her was the truth, even though she had not wanted to admit it. What Freddy had done to her had been rape. She had just not wanted to admit it to herself. Admitting it to herself would mean that she had accepted what had happened. Up until earlier that day, she hadn't. She had been denying what had happened three years ago and had been blaming herself for it.

_Well, no more, _she thought to herself as she stepped out of the shower and dressed into a pair of emerald green sweats. _It's about time that dickshit got what he deserved, _she thought blowing drying her hair. As she reached for a hairtie, Lita smiled.

_And he will._

The next morning, Lita woke up and turned to look at the clock. She groaned when she saw that it read 5:35. Knowing that there was no way that she was going to be able to get back to sleep, she got out of bed and quickly dressed into a pair of dark green sweats. Having gotten up so early, Lita had enough time for a good two hour run before heading to the gym for her daily workout. After giving her teeth a good brush through, she made sure to lock the door behind her and set off for her morning jog.

"IT'S A BEAUTIFUL MORNI-"

Ami Mizuno quickly slammed her hand down her alarm clock and turn to look at the time. 8:30, she saw, reading the flashing digits before her blue eyes. Slowly, Ami got out of bed and headed for the shower.

In the shower, she thought about the full day she had ahead of her. She was supposed to meet up with Serena and the others around 10:30 outside of the arcade so that they could spend the entire day shopping, then she had to come home and get ready for her date with Freddy. Ami smiled as she thought of Freddy. As much as she hated to admit it, she was falling for him and it wasn't exactly because of his personality.

_There's just something about him,_ she thought to herself, wondering why she was so attracted to someone who was almost a stranger to her.

_Or maybe there's not,_ another part of her argued with herself, _Face it, Amy. Maybe you've just become shallow for once and you've fallen for a guy because of his looks. _

Amy sighed as she stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself. She hated to admit to herself that she had become so shallow but she couldn't think of any other reason why she was so attracted to Freddy. She knew almost nothing about him except that he had gone to Brighton and obviously had some kind of history with Lita. Lita! She couldn't believe what Freddy had told her the night before but at the same time she knew that it made sense. She wanted to find the truth out from Lita herself, but didn't know how to ask. She didn't want to hurt her friend, but how else could she know if what Freddy had said was the truth if she didn't ask? That was when an idea occurred to her. Quickly she picked up the phone and dialed.

One ring. Two. Three. Four. The fifth ring was just about to start when it was picked up by a tired and groggy Serena Tsukino. "Hello?"

"Serena?"

"Amy, what's up?" Serena asked, fighting a yawn. _What time is it anyways?_ she wondered.

"I just wanted to let you know that I can't go downtown with everyone today."

Hearing this Serena bolted right up. "Why?"

"I have some stuff to do that I forgot about."

"You can't do that stuff later, Ames?"

"Sorry, Serena. I should've tried to arrange my schedule better."

"Don't worry about it, Ames. If you finish early, you know where we'll be."

"Thanks, Serena."

"Later."

Amy hung up, feeling guilty that she had lied to Serena but knowing that she had done the right thing. She knew that she couldn't see Lita before finding out the truth. The way she was feeling right now she'd never be able to look Lita in the eye. She had to find out who Lita really was. Quickly, Amy pulled on her white sweater and sat down at her computer. Taking a deep breath, Amy opened up her internet search engine and typed in Lita Kino.


End file.
